This invention relates to an IC socket for engaging and disengaging an IC loaded thereon, by moving a moving plate.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 30280/94 discloses an IC socket, in which an electrical connection between the IC socket and an IC loaded thereon is made by moving a pair of moving plates along an upper surface of a socket body and in parallel relation to two opposing sides of the socket body.
A plurality of contacts are arranged in a lattice pattern to corresponding with a plurality of external contacts which are also arranged in a lattice pattern on an IC. Resilient contact elements of the respective contacts are resiliently displaced either in a column direction or in a row direction through movement of each moving plate in a direction parallel to the sides of the socket body so that the contact are moved into or out of contact with the external contacts arranged on the IC.
However, when the contacts are arranged in a lattice pattern consisting of columns and rows and the resilient contact elements are resiliently displaced in the column and row directions, sufficient spaces in the column and row directions between adjacent contacts cannot be obtained. Therefore, a sufficient amount of displacement of the resilient contact element of each contact cannot be obtained, and the external contacts of the IC and the contacts of the socket cannot be effectively arranged at smaller pitches.
Another proposal is presented in Japanese Patent Publication No. 66787/91. In this proposal, each of the columns and rows of contacts arranged in a lattice pattern is diagonally arranged with respect to each side of the socket body and the resilient contact element of each contact is displaced along the diagonal direction of the lattice pattern arrangement. In other words, each contact column and each contact row is diagonally arranged with respect to the sides of the socket body, and the resilient contact element of each contact is displaced in parallel to each side of the socket body so that electrical connection and disconnection can be achieved.
In this prior art, however, although there are such advantages that sufficient spaces in the diagonal directions between adjacent contacts can be obtained and a sufficient amount of resilient displacement of each resilient contact element can be obtained, it has the following disadvantages. When the lattice arrangement pattern of the contacts is diagonally arranged with respect to a square socket body, the socket body is required to have lateral sides corresponding to the lengths of the diagonal lines of such a pattern, thus resulting in a large size of the socket body. In other words, the number of the contacts receivable in the socket body having such a predetermined dimensional size is extensively reduced.
Moreover, since the IC must be inserted into and removed from the socket body diagonally and with a predetermined angle of rotation, a design change of a robot for performing the job of inserting the IC into and removing the IC from the socket body inevitably occurs.
The present invention has been accomplished in view of the above situation.